The prefix is this long... Xia Qingtian’s mouth twitched slightly. She wondered why the system had been so quiet for so long. Turns out it had gone for an update.
But wasn't the update taking too long?
"Do you accept the upgrade and reboot?" the system asked again.
"Then upgrade." Xia Qingtian didn't overthink it, just treating it as a regular update, much like the ones for her phone and computer.
"Beep—" After a brief two seconds, the system voice announced, "Upgrade successful. Rebooting now."
"Screee—"
A piercing sound suddenly erupted in her mind, followed by an ear-splitting pain and then darkness.
Xia Qingtian promptly fainted.
When she woke up again, she was lying in a hospital room, surrounded by her worried family.
"Qingtian!" Aunt Liu was the first to notice Xia Qingtian waking up. "How are you?"
"Huh?" Xia Qingtian still felt a bit groggy.
"Why did you suddenly faint out of the blue?" Xia Honglang immediately asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"Sister, can you see clearly? Can you hear our voices?" Xia Qingyu asked nervously.
"Niece, don't scare me. Do you know what 1+1 equals?" Miao Tong pushed his face close to Xia Qingtian. "Who am I, do you remember?"
"Little Uncle..." Xia Qingtian mumbled, "I want to drink water."
"Good, good, you're not stupid. Your eyesight and hearing are fine too," Miao Tong said, unscrewing a bottle of water and handing it to Xia Qingtian. "The doctor couldn't figure out why you suddenly fainted. After the examination, they said you were just asleep, but you slept so deeply it was like you were dead. You really scared us."
Listening to Miao Tong's incessant chatter, Xia Qingtian felt her head buzzing.
What was even more critical was the system voice that chimed in her mind at the same time. The system's voice was no longer electronic but sounded more human, specifically like a child's voice, indistinguishable as male or female.
"The system has been rebooted. Welcome, host.
The rebooted system has been successfully upgraded to the 100% Real Omniscient Almighty Great Sage Intelligent Prophetic Chosen One System!
We hope to complete more missions with the host, achieve more outstanding accomplishments, and receive multiple rewards."
"Why didn't you tell me beforehand that upgrading the system would cause me so much pain?" Xia Qingtian questioned the system unhappily in her mind.
"You didn't ask before," the system replied with its childlike voice, sounding even more shameless.
Xia Qingtian ignored the system and clicked on the system's internal interface in her mind. She found that the overall layout hadn't changed, but the Lucky Roulette had disappeared, along with the points she had painstakingly accumulated from missions and the items she hadn't had a chance to use!
All the previously accumulated items had turned into empty slots, with only the SSS-level mysterious gift package, which she couldn't access, sitting there alone.
"What the hell! Where are my things! Where are my points!" Xia Qingtian’s eyes widened. "Is there a bug?"
"No~ Your points and items have been decomposed into experience points to support the system's upgrade!" the system's childlike voice chimed. "The system has now been upgraded to the 100% Real Omniscient Almighty Great Sage Intelligent Prophetic Chosen One System, providing you with brand new services. You've made a huge profit, host~
Also, to celebrate your first system upgrade, the system has prepared three prophecy coupons for you. By using these coupons, you will receive the 100% Real Omniscient Almighty Great Sage Prophecy Service."
As if sensing Xia Qingtian's rage, the system immediately offered the benefits obsequiously.
Seeing the three prophecy coupons appear in the item equipment bar, Xia Qingtian took a deep breath and decided to accept reality.
She immediately used one prophecy coupon.
The system's prophetic voice appeared in her mind: Tonight, thunderstorms, west wind 3-4级, air quality excellent.
Then, silence.
"..." Xia Qingtian was stunned.
This was the prophecy she got for one prophecy coupon?
Just...
Xia Qingtian, unwilling to give up, used another prophecy coupon.
The system's prophetic voice appeared in her mind again: Tomorrow, thunderstorms turning to clear skies, south wind 3-4级, air quality excellent.
"..." Xia Qingtian felt a moment of disorientation, unsure if she had upgraded the system's abilities or the system's sheer audacity.
Xia Qingtian now had the urge to rip that damned system out of her mind and strangle it.
Perish!
"Hehe..." The system seemed to know it was in the wrong and chuckled, saying, "The 100% Real Omniscient Almighty Great Sage Intelligent Prophetic Chosen One System is at your service. Bye-bye~"
Then, it fell completely silent.
Xia Qingtian looked at the unused prophecy coupon on the system interface, feeling a murderous impulse.
"Sis? Are you okay?" Xia Qingyu waved her hand in front of Xia Qingtian's eyes. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"Unwell?" Xia Qingtian felt that her current mood could not be simply described by the phrase "unwell."
She wanted to kill!
No, she wanted to kill the system!
The system wasn't human, but it was truly despicable!
Wasn't being freeloaded enough? Did it have to be soul-crushing too!
If it’s this much of a scam, it might as well just lie low until the end!
So infuriating!
Finally, before a new round of examinations, Xia Qingtian tremblingly said she was fine, comforting her family and forcing herself to swallow her suffering in silence.
Accompanied by her family, Xia Qingtian was discharged from the hospital.
Meanwhile, in a research institute in Finland, Nie Qingkong, dressed in a white research suit, looked at the readings in front of him and listened to the researcher's report with a furrowed brow.
"The energy fluctuations of the crystal are gradually stabilizing, but at the same time, we've found that its energy radiation is weakening. The readings have remained stable after reaching one-third of their peak," the researcher reported to the man behind the desk, his voice tense. "We still don't know why the crystal is behaving this way. Our people are investigating."
"I understand." The man seated behind the desk had his semi-white hair tied back. His handsome face showed no signs of aging, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses, exuding a scholarly charm. He tapped his fingertips on the desk, his voice steady yet imbued with an indescribable gentleness. "Continue monitoring. Report any further issues immediately."
"Yes, sir." After replying, the researcher quickly left the office.
Once the researcher had left, Nie Qingkong looked up at the man behind the desk. "Father, could this just be an accident?"
"I never believe in accidents," the man's gaze fell on Nie Qingkong's face, and a slight smile played on his lips. "Was your trip to Z country smooth?"
"Yes, it was quite good," Nie Qingkong replied respectfully.
"You've had your fun. Now, get back to work," the man shifted his gaze away from Nie Qingkong's face and looked out the office's thick glass window at the busy crowd. "The crystal's power is weakening, and we don't have much time left for research."
"Yes," Nie Qingkong responded and lowered his head.
Returning here, he was no longer Nie Qingkong. He was the Young Master, Tarik.
Everything and everyone in Z country, he had to completely forget.
In his mind, the image of that sharp-tongued girl was sealed in a corner of his heart.
Never to be touched.